


petrichor

by cherrychan



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Oneshot, countryside AU, everything kinda sucks, lapslock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-02 08:55:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20273284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrychan/pseuds/cherrychan
Summary: baekhyun visits his home in the countryside for summer break, hoping to reconnect with his neighbor and former best friend after they left things on a bad note two years ago





	petrichor

**Author's Note:**

> ((i love writing about the country a little too much and imagining chanyeol as a country boy workin on a farm has me feeling some kinda way!!))

there was something about the countryside that baekhyun adored. maybe the sound of the screen door hitting the doorframe whenever he ran outside, or how brightly the night sky was lit up with stars, or the sound of cicadas, ducks, frogs, and crickets, or the silence. it could have very well been the fact that he had grown up there, running around the rolling green fields, reading books in hammocks, and catching fireflies in the summer. above all, though, what he knew he loved the most about the place he grew up was chanyeol, his neighbor.

alone as a child, there wasn’t much to do. his parents busied themselves with work, and playing with the same toys and pets got old after a while. then, his refuge from boredom was chanyeol. he only lived a brief walk away, which meant they effortlessly became best friends. they sat together on the bus ride to and from school, hung out at each other’s houses, and even built a clubhouse with the help of chanyeol’s granddad.

their clubhouse was nestled in the wooded area between their homes near a creak, but a little bit closer to chanyeol’s house than baekhyun’s. inside, they had books, maps, drawings, and music sheets. sometimes, chanyeol would bring his guitar and baekhyun would sing along to whatever song he played. other times, they would map out the constellations and what time of year they were visible (baekhyun got a telescope for his fourteenth birthday), or vent to one another about callous teachers or classmates. one time, they tried to adopt a baby duckling they found by the pond nearby, but baekhyun’s mom found out and forced them to take it back.

one feature they added to the clubhouse was a bell, made for them to ring for emergency meetups. you could hear it relatively clearly from chanyeol’s house, and baekhyun’s only if it was quiet enough. they only had to ring it a couple times. the first time was when baekhyun’s dog died, then again when chanyeol was getting grounded for his bad grades, and lastly when baekhyun found out his family was leaving early for vacation, and he knew he wouldn’t see chanyeol for over a week without being able to say goodbye.

the duo also commonly had sleepovers when growing up—almost every weekend. seldom they got bored of one another, and even more rare were their quarrels. they only fought a few times over the years; most of the time it being over a misunderstanding. although, chanyeol was right in being disconcerted after learning baekhyun was travelling far away for college.

it wasn’t like baekhyun didn’t seriously consider not going to college, or even just going to a closer school. but he knew that it would be for the best to go to the prestigious school in the big city to get a degree in animal science. he understood why chanyeol was staying to work for his family, like all his other family members had done, but he knew he wasn’t made for that life.

it was hard to leave chanyeol. the younger stayed bitter about it for the longest time, and ignored the large part of baekhyun’s calls. eventually, they fell out of communication. baekhyun had made new friends in college, and gotten accustomed to life in the big city. he never learned how chanyeol fared after he left. and when baekhyun came home for one summer, he had no clue if chanyeol still lived in the same house next to his own.

baekhyun was relieved to be home; away from all the bustle of the city and back where he belonged in the country. he arrived when his parents were both gone, and took the opportunity to explore the house and see how it had changed in the time he’d been gone. he was relieved to see the same gang of pets roaming around the house, the same furniture arrangements, and even his bedroom seemed untouched.

he sauntered out into the backyard, hearing the screen door hit the doorframe behind him, and cracking a little smile. there had just been a light rain, and baekhyun took a deep breath, basking in the pleasant earthy smell that the rain brought. unfortunately though, that meant everything outside was too wet to sit on. nevertheless, baekhyun wasn’t deterred from exploring the area around his house.

somewhere he definitely wanted to visit—well, the only place he _wanted_ to visit, really—was the old clubhouse. he slowly made his way there, unopposed to getting sidetracked by other things along the way. when he arrived, he reveled at how lovely it still looked, even after a couple years of supposed vacancy. inside, most of the books and maps were gone, but baekhyun was overcome with nostalgia anyway. he traced the edges of the metal bell with his finger, thinking back to all the time he spent in here with chanyeol. carelessly, baekhyun rung the bell, imagining a fantasy where chanyeol heard it and came running, even after all this time.

baekhyun remembered back to the last time he was here, just a couple days before he was to leave for college. things were weird with chanyeol then—tense. he never said it out loud to avoid making things worse, but baekhyun thought that chanyeol was overreacting to it all. it was just college; a couple months gone at a time, but always coming back for breaks (he couldn’t have known then that he still wouldn’t see chanyeol for over a year because they never got the timing right). but that wasn’t the only reason things were weird then.

baekhyun had famously had a crush on the same girl for years, but never had the courage to give off any clues about his feelings to her. and one night at a sleepover, chanyeol suggested that to practice for his first kiss with the girl (eventually, they assumed), baekhyun should kiss him. the elder was just _waiting_ for chanyeol to burst into laughter and shout how he totally had baekhyun and how it was all just a joke, but that never came.

i'm serious, chanyeol said. don’t you want to be prepared for when you kiss her?

but you’ve never even kissed anyone, chanyeol.

yeah, it can be a learning experience for both of us. come on, don’t make it weird.

kissing already made baekhyun uncomfortable, and he wasn’t sure if doing it with his boy best friend made it better or worse. but chanyeol seemed to really want to, and he hated to say no to the younger. it'll be quick. over before he even knew it. maybe it really will help.

he sat next to chanyeol on his bed, and glared into his eyes for a short moment before recognizing that that made it so much harder. he leaned in slightly, letting the younger do the rest of the work. he breathed on chanyeol’s upper lip, feeling his body heat, and sent the younger flying backward.

i’m sorry, baek… i, uh, shouldn’t… chanyeol stuttered, avoiding looking even in baekhyun’s general direction. after that, things always felt a little off when they spent time together. baekhyun wasn’t sure what to think about it, but was concerned it drastically changed their friendship. it didn’t help that they never really talked about it ever again, since he left shortly after.

now, baekhyun heard footsteps, crunching leaves. his gaze shot upward, and approaching him was chanyeol, tall and handsome as ever. his hair was longer than before, covering most of his forehead. he was wearing a plain t-shirt and some shorts, and some new sneakers. he already looked older than he remembered, and the look of judgement on his face didn’t help.

“baekhyun.”

“chanyeol.”

“…you rang.”

“yeah. it was an emergency…i just got back.”

“i see that.”

chanyeol sat down next to him in the clubhouse, keeping his distance.

“i was hoping you would still be here.” baekhyun said. 

“yeah. i haven’t gone anywhere.”

“so, what’s changed?

“not much. i'm still working here. one of the horses had babies. that's about it... what about you? how are you liking the city?”

“it’s nothing like here. i was hoping at least i would be able to look at the stars at night and at least feel connected to you that way, but they’re practically invisible there. and there’s never a moment of silence there like there is here. but on the bright side, i made a lot of friends. and i kept my grades up.”

“that’s the baek i know,” chanyeol smiled, before faltering. “it’s been really lonely here.”

baekhyun remained silent, unsure of how to reply.

“how long will you be here for?” chanyeol asked.

“couple months—i wanted to spend my entire summer here,” baekhyun paused, “don’t tell me you have any big vacations planned.”

he immediately regretted saying that, thinking back to how he left chanyeol for college and didn’t see him for almost two years, barely communicating at all.

“no, not really,” chanyeol replied.

“well then, let’s kick this summer off the right way with a nice campfire and some drinks,” baekhyun grinned, standing up and taking a couple steps back from the clubhouse.

the duo made their way through the sodden brush to chanyeol’s house, mostly in silence.

“i love that smell,” chanyeol commented.

“it’s called petrichor. the nice, earthy smell after it rains,” said baekhyun.

chanyeol chuckled. “you definitely haven’t changed.”

a couple hours later, baekhyun and chanyeol were sitting at a roaring campfire, laughing and reminiscing together. the drinks surely helped to take the edge off, but something was still holding them back. baekhyun still found it difficult to look chanyeol in the eye for more than a couple moments.

“remember when you just got your license and we took your dad’s convertible out one night and hit that deer?” chanyeol asked, his grin stretched wide. “i’ll never forget the look on your face.”

“yeah, i’ll never forget that. i really miss those nights. i'd much rather spend a night here with you hitting deer than a night in the city with my other friends.”

chanyeol didn’t reply, and it sent baekhyun into a silent panic. seconds that felt like hours passed, and right when baekhyun opened his mouth to speak again, chanyeol cut him off.

“baek, you never called.”

“chanyeol, i did.”

“yeah, like twice. and when i didn’t answer, you gave up so quickly.”

“why didn’t you answer?”

“because… i was hurt. because you were leaving and i wasn’t ready… and that _kiss_,” chanyeol cringed.

“we never kissed.”

“but i wanted to, really badly.”

for a while, the only sound was the crackling of the campfire. baekhyun was speechless, still taking it all in.

“baek, i never stopped thinking about you. i didn’t see you for almost two years—”

“where is all this coming from? chanyeol, we’re just friends. you're like a brother to me.”

“don’t do that. i know that deep down you know that it’s more than that.”

“you’re lying to yourself, then. i'm going home,” baekhyun huffed, standing up.

chanyeol matched his movements, insisting that he stay. but baekhyun refused his pleads, and walked home in the twilight, his head spinning.

back home, he fell into conversation with his parents for an hour before agreeing with them to continue catching up in the morning over breakfast. then, baekhyun found himself staring up at his ceiling, the lights off and the moonlight spilling in through his open window behind where his head was resting.

chanyeol had been right—he didn’t doubt that. but in those moments where their feelings were acknowledged, it felt real, not just a far away fantasy in their minds. baekhyun could tolerate the thought of feeling chanyeol’s body heat on his own skin, but he wouldn’t dare speak about it. he was okay with the onslaught of thoughts about chanyeol while drifting to sleep, and pleasant dreams spent together in amenity, but never had the desire or intent for them to become reality. and when chanyeol opened up about his own feelings, it was overwhelming for baekhyun. but he realized now how neglectful he genuinely had been to chanyeol, from before he left for college to tonight. he got out of bed.

there was a warm breeze outside that night, like a blanket draped on baekhyun’s shoulders. he felt deeply embarrassed standing outside of chanyeol’s bedroom window, but his need to be reconciled overcame all other emotion. he tapped on the window in a pattern he would know, loud and clear. after several seconds, chanyeol came and opened the window.

“before you say anything, i'm sorry. i should have called, and wrote, and tried harder to visit. and i’m sorry for hiding my true feelings. the truth is that i have feelings for you, and they’re not comfortable, but they’ve never gone away. chanyeol, i can’t help the fact that i’m going to college far away, and i’ll probably get a job far away after i graduate, just like how i can’t help the fact that i really like you. none of it is easy, but it’s just the way it is right now.”

chanyeol didn’t speak, so baekhyun continued.

“can we just take this summer and pretend like we’re in high school still and nothing matters and the future is distant?”

“it’s going to hurt, baekhyun.”

he reached his hand out, and took the other’s hand in his own.

“i know.”

chanyeol glared at baekhyun, silhouetted by the moon, and knew what he had to say.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! kudos and comments are very much appreciated!


End file.
